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Post Punk

One of the distinguishing qualities of Trevor Jackson’s Metal Dance series is its visual aesthetic. Jackson’s work as a graphic designer plays as much part as his role as compiler, and a stark black and white visual identity has become a trademark of the series

In this new video mix edited by Tom Parsons, bleak and striking images float over a selection of tracks that will be featured on Metal Dance 2, which is out now!

When we first shared the news that Alessio Natalizia would be performing a special Mutazione-themed DJ set for Club To Club’s launch at London’s Village Underground, the natural fan response was to ask if the set would be recorded. That sounded like a pretty good idea to us too, and Alessio was kind enough to record his performance, and to share it with us.

So here, for your pleasure, is one of the most uncompromising DJ sets we’ve ever had the pleasure of enjoying, digging deep into his cache of Italian post-punk, new wave, and experimental electronic music. Some of the tracks you may recognize from the Mutazione collection Alessio compiled. Others, well, let’s just say it’s clear that there’s no short supply of mind blowing music in his stash.

Music from Italy’s TRAX collective are among the many highlights of Alessio Natalizia’s incredible Mutazione collection. While researching the work of the collective, we were struck by the way in which their creative approach in the early 1980s mirrored key elements of online and internet culture of the 2000s. In very literal ways, the TRAX guys were sharing files, creating social networks, and crowd-sourcing content 30 years before Tumblr, Facebook, Soundcloud or any of the other many great tools that make this kind of thing common place these days.

We were able to catch up with two of the founding members of TRAX, who graciously gave us more detail on their creative process, and the incredible music they made together which has spanned decades and continents. You can hear music from them and other members of the Italian New Wave movement on Mutazione, which is out now.

This compilation project explores the under-acknowledged realm of Italian underground electronic music and new wave, recorded during a time of extreme political turmoil during the 80s. “When people think of Italian music, they often think of Italo disco or prog rock,” explains compiler Alessio Natalizia of the Kompakt outfit WALLS. “For me, this more experimental end of the new wave scene is the most exciting music to emerge from Italy over the last 30 years and, since much of it was originally released in such limited quantities, it has remained relatively undocumented until now.”

In fact, much of the music covered on Mutazione was originally released only on cassette, sometimes in conjunction with fanzines published by political groups whose message was entwined with the music. Stylistically, the music ranges from brooding new wave and post-punk to raw electronic pieces and claustrophobic, whispered vocal cuts. This is some of the most adventurous electronic music we’ve collected so far on Strut, and an amazing overview of a unique time and aesthetic that has yet to be fully canonized.

Mutazione CDs and LPs include extensive sleeve notes by two of Italy’s leading music and cultural journalists, Andrea Pomini and Alberto Campo, both now of Rumore magazine. The package also features a wealth of original photos alongside artwork from fanzines, cassettes and LP covers. The collection is out August 6th on 2 x CD, 2 x LP & digital download.